"To sum up, then," said the President, "you, Hoverly, authorized aid for a McWorther's World in the 47-126 area."
The undersecretary glanced away uneasily.
"But you, Summerson," Roswell continued, "have no record of having signed aid agreements with such a place."
"That's right," the ambassador verified. "But deciding to accommodate McWorther's World was the most fantastic stroke of good luck imaginable."
Hoverly squinted. "I don't follow you."
"When you sent aid to the Potentate, not only did you pick what will undoubtedly develop into the most critical political area of the millennium, but you also beat the Easties to the draw in a sector that they had staked out all for themselves."
"A stroke of sheer luck," President Roswell concurred.
The roving ambassador leaned back smiling. "The chance timing was perfect too. We beat them by less than two weeks."
But the intelligence chief's face was rigid with dejection. "We got there 'firstest,' to use an ancient expression, but not with the 'mostest.' Our agents in Imperial City report that the amount of aid authorized for McWorther's World is unbelievable. The entire Eastern Cluster is going on a full austerity basis to support the program."
"That shows what value they place on McWorther's World and the sector it opens up," Roswell offered. "When they found out we'd moved in ahead of them, their reaction was frantic."